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Radical Sheep Productions (ON) is soliciting ideas for new youth-targeted television series. Categories: preschool, ages 6-9, 9-12, 12-17. Single-page queries only. Compensation commensurate with experience. More details...

Scholastic Education (ON) is accepting short stories for Grade 6 readers. Stories should be at a reasonable high reading level and include literary devices such as flashbacks, time change, figurative languages, foreshadowing, different perspectives, symbolism, subplots, dear reader (acknowledging the reader device). Also alliteration, allusion, hyperbole, irony, metaphor, onomatopoeia, oxymoron, personification, rhetorical question, simile, understatement. Length: 3000 words max. No pets, witchcraft, or demons. Send questions to Laura Smith at lsmith@scholastic.ca. Send submissions to: Laura Smith, Scholastic Canada, 175 Hillmount Road, 3rd Floor, Markham, ON, L6C 1Z7. (via Saskatchewan Writers' Guild)

The Canadian Aboriginal Writing Challenge is a short story contest for young Aboriginal Canadians. First prize in each category: $2000, trip to Calgary, and more. Participants must be of Aboriginal ancestry (Status, Non-Status, Inuit and Metis) and between the ages of 14-18 or 19-29. Submit stories 800-1400 words based on a moment or period in Aboriginal history. The event should be tied to Canadian history and/or the participant’s ancestral history. Deadline: March 31, 2008. More details...

Wow. I was all prepared to to write a post on the love/hate relationship of trying to get your book published, but Judy Dunn of Cats Eye Marketing tweeted this post by Harry Baum and it pretty much sums up everything I’ve been thinking about lately.

A Publishing Person Self-Publishes

I mean seriously, wow. If you’re like me and you wonder about the question of self-publishing or struggle over whether or not to submit your work to publishers, you need to read this article.

I’m going to get all woo-woo on you and say that another article opened my mind and allowed me to focus my energy on more positive, profitable pursuits than traditional publishing. It’s by my friend Mark Silver of Heart of Business:

What you need to do before you publish a book

If that weren’t enough, Jon of CBI Clubhouse pointed out a in a comment here that the first step is perfecting your craft. Worry about publishing later (paraphrased). He’s absolutely right and there’s tons of similar advice and information on his web site.

I’m surrounded by so much excellent information. If you ever wonder how I came to know a thing or two about anything, it’s because I’ve had help.

How do you measure success? We all have our ways. For me success usually means either productivity or outside acknowledgement. This year, I'm achieving both. I've joined listserves to help keep me prolific: one in which I commit to writing 100 words a day for 100 days; one in which I commit to writing a new poem every day; one in which I commit to writing (and posting) 15 pages of work every week; and for my health a Daily Challenge that is related to health. I've belonged to the 15 pages/week for years, disappearing for months at a time, but have been active again now for several months again. So far in 2011, I have written over 60 new poems, which I will edit and polish next year, unless I decide to stop writing new work and start editing at some point this year.
Meanwhile, I continue to send out my edited work, and have had three poems accepted so far this year. One to Mom Egg, one to Stillwater Review, and one to be published in the book "paying attention: a river of stones."
On the days I have a migraine, I write migraine poems (3 so far this year). I've written with a temp of 102 when I had the flu. I wrote through the flu, an ear infection, beautiful days of sunshine when I could have been gardening, the weekends, and sheer laziness when I didn't "feel like it." Commitment is a powerful motivator. For me.

Alternate publishing has been a quiet, behind-the-scenes subject for the last two or three years, but I keep hearing people talking about how they’ve taken the plunge. The terms vary: self-publishing, indie publishing, niche publishing. Some authors are apologetic; some are arrogant; some are business-like. But more and more, people are taking their copyright into their own hands and asking: how can I make money with what I have written. This week, we’ll look at seven stories of people who have done exactly that. For every story told here, I probably know of two or three more similar stories.

Dusting off an old publisher’s hat

Guest post by Joni Sensel

My latest book starts with a mouse-gnawed, bedraggled hat, and I found myself donning an old hat myself to get this book to readers who were asking for it.

More than ten years ago, I started a small press and self-published two picture books. One earned an award, both sold out their print runs, and I got a terrific crash-course in publishing — enough to know I’d rather write. I stuffed my publishing hat into a closet.

After four traditionally published middle-grade novels, however, I dusted off my DIY cap. Having published THE FARWALKER’S QUEST and its sequel (which were contracted individually), Bloomsbury didn’t even want to consider the trilogy’s finale. Though the books earned good reviews and even a little award notice, sufficient copies didn’t sell for the company to invest in the third.

Farwalker’s Quest was a 2009 Cybil Award finalist and a 2010 Bank Street College ‘Best Book’.
REVIEWS

• This is a solid and well-paced fantasy in which the journey is more important than the conclusion. The theme of finding and accepting one’s true calling resonates. –School Library Journal
• [T]he book is at once elegant and lyrical, while also offering an intensely paced and action-driven plot for readers who are seeking adventure along with poetic contemplation.
  –The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
• This stand-alone fantasy has a unique setting with an intriguing history and a suspenseful plot. –Booklist
• The story offers crisp dialogue, an exciting plot, and strong secondary characters. –Kirkus

Yet readers were asking for more. So I finished it myself.

I did

Arthur Slade, Canada’s premier writer of young adult fantastical fiction, won the prestigious Governor General’s Award (Canada’s equivalent of the Newbery), the Mr. Christie’s Award, and has had books on the American Library Association Best Books for Young Adults and has been a finalist for the Edgar Award (Mystery Writers of America). Last year, he reisued his backlist as ebooks and reports on the results here: A glorious year of ebooking – Learn how he sold 6353 EBooks!.

Drawing upon that experience, Art gives tips today about taking the same route.

This is part of the continuing series on Alternate Publishing:
Alternate Publishing Series TOC

• Alternate Publishing: POD to Finish a Series
• Alternate Publishing: Niche Marketing of Nutrition for Kids
• Alternate Publishing: Historical Fiction
• Alternate Publishing: Ebooks
• Alternate Publishing: Book Apps
• Alternate Publishing: Games and Educational Resources

5 Tips for Ebooks

Guest post by Arthur Slade
If you’re looking at self publishing your own work on Kindle or Kobo, or B&N or…well on any of those retailers here are 5 handy tips.

1. Don’t be afraid. The world of epublishing is confusing. There are mobis, and epubs, and html and pdfs and… If you’re not into figuring out how to turn your book into these various formats then look for a formatting service. They’ll do it for you and you don’t have to sweat.
2. Diversify. Amazon is the largest seller of ebooks, but it’s usually best to take the time to distribute your work to as many different retailers as possible. This allows you to reach a bigger audience. There’s nothing more frustrating for a reader with a Nook to find out that you’re only available on Amazon. And you never know, you may become a hit on one of the other retailers.
3. Make sure your work is perfect. Yep, that should be a given. I’m assuming you’ve already rewritten it thirty times or so. Even the tiniest typos may upset a reader and give you a dreaded 1 star rating. So be sure your work is without typos and the gobbledygook that can spring up when text is converted to epublishing files. To do this it’s good to read your own work on a Kindle or your favourite device (an iPad is handy because you can use all of the various readers on one device).
4. Put a professional cover on your book. You are entering the professional world and
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Pandora's Collective (BC) invites entries for their annual poetry contest. Submit poems 40 lines max. Prizes: First (adults) $100; first (teens) - $70; first (children) - $40. Entry fees: Adults - $5/poem; Teens (14 to 19) - $4/poem; Children (13 and under) - $3/poem. Deadline May 15, 2008. More details...